WP: Recruits Sought for Porn Squad (FBI joins Bush's "War On Porn")

[Rose Siding]

The FBI is joining the Bush administration's War on Porn. And it's looking for a few good agents.

Early last month, the bureau's Washington Field Office began recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad. Attached to the job posting was a July 29 Electronic Communication from FBI headquarters to all 56 field offices, describing the initiative as "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and, by extension, of "the Director." That would be FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.

Mischievous commentary began propagating around the water coolers at 601 Fourth St. NW and its satellites, where the FBI's second-largest field office concentrates on national security, high-technology crimes and public corruption.

The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901570.html

[brainshrub]

1. Self Deleted.

Self deleted before I get into trouble.

[benburch]

21. Trouble can be a good thing, my friend.

Progress is always made by troublemakers.

[Lindsay]

2. Good thing we don't have any more serious problems

in this country, so the FBI can focus on porn.

:sarcasm:

[NewJeffCT]

13. the War on Terror is going so swimmingly

Freedom is on the March and the insurgency is in its last throes, so it must be time to move on to PORN.

:sarcasm:

[bonito]

3. Well I've been to aunt judy's

a few times. I guess that makes me experienced, what about those benefits? I need a steady paying job.

[Sabriel]

4. We've been--ahem-- gathering evidence for years.

In fact, I think I spotted some last Saturday. (Psst! It's up on the top shelf, where the kids can't reach it!)

[against all enemies]

5. Bush goes after pot, porn and hookers while terror awaits. What

an idiot. Wasn't the FBI after hookers in New Orleans while the 9/11 attacks were being planned? We are the laughing stock of the world.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Pandering to his base

Isn't it interesting though that both Bush boys are from states where strip clubs proliferate.

[0007]

61. junior just learned Bin Laden is now making Porno films?

Yikes! Tis war I'm telling ya! junior has a plan he gonna cut the electricity so no can watch.

[sarcasmo]

58. This is the Religious rights next big topic once they abolish Abortion.

Never mind that the Porn industry is a 5Billion dollar industry.

[leesa]

86. Amazingly enough, they actually found a few...months and months of

hard work.

[CoffeeCat]

6. What a bunch of useless, time-wasting pieces of sh*t!

Yeah, let's go after naked boobs.

Forget the millions of pictures that litter the internet--of children being raped, tortured and forced to engage in other sick sex acts--at the hands of adults.

That's right, Mr. pResident! Who cares about children who are sexually exploited, let's stop adults from looking at naked boobs! You go!!

I'm sure America will be a much better place--once you spend millions of dollars to stop a few people from seeing a few pictures of naked boobs!

You're a boob!

Nimrods!

Are they ATTEMPTING to reach new levels of absurdity--or do their policies accidentally cause them to look like buffoons with their heads shoved up their fat arses?

Sorry! I'm sick of these bastards! Who ARE these freaks!?

[AzDar]

36. ...Couldn't have said it better myself. (I was GOING to say: "you

took the words right outta my mouth"; thought it might sound slightly pornographic to Alberto,so I rephrased).

[Art_from_Ark]

88. Who are these freaks?

Why, they're the successors of the Meese Porn Commission, the multi-multi-million dollar boondoggle of the Reagan administration which featured as its "highlight", the Tearful Confessions of a Former Monkey Spanker who, driven by depraved urgings to constantly pleasure his John Henry stimulated by the easy access to vile, sinful pornographic materials, fell further and further down into the abyss of the Den of Iniquity until his wretched soul, drained of all hope for redemption, could do nothing except wait for his Dark Lord and Master to claim it.

:crazy::crazy::crazy:

[DBoon]

7. you mean they will finally prosecute those responsible for Abu Ghraib?

that qualifies as pornography in my book...

[bonito]

8. Not in mine ,that was pure sick!

[Rose Siding]

11. The WP front page link is " FBI Seeking Recruits for Anti-Obscenity Squad"

Abu Ghraib *would* fall under that definition

[Ignis]

16. I'm sure we can all agree on this point:

It was obscene.

[DBoon]

17. Weren't the pictures first published on a porn Web site

which was how this came to light?

One of the sites for those who find violent humiliation sexually exciting?

Fascists have their pornography too.

[Eric J in MN]

19. No. They were leaked to Sy Hersh of the New Yorker and 60 Minutes.

A porno site which mixed photos from Abu Ghraib with photos from a porno movie created some confusion.

[saigon68]

27. Like this ?

[ShockediSay]

10. Bound to push Osama over the edge.

I feel safer from the terrorists already,

[TankLV]

12. Hey - I'll volunteer to watch the gay porn - just to see how bad it is!

Strictly for scientific purposes only!

[ButterflyBlood]

14. Nice to know this Adminstration has its proiorities straight

Terrorism and organized crime can wait after all. :sarcasm:

[leesa]

87. They ARE organized crime.

[Lochloosa]

15. I was updateing my resume...until I read the story...

damn...:spank: bad boy...bad boy

[benburch]

18. And this is one of the reasons I thought we needed a DU Group...

on Sexuality and Public Policy!

This is exactly the sort of thing we will see more and more of as the Christian Right attempts to criminalize what Americans can read, view, and do in the privacy of their bedrooms.

[nashville_brook]

20. isn't porn legal? just asking.

[CBGLuthier]

35. Yes, no, maybe, depends

It's the damn community standards ruling years ago.

Basically, if a group of citizens from a community do not find something obscene then it is not. If they do, then it is.

There is no national standard though. So you could theoretically bust Playboy even if you can find a town with enough blue-noses in it.

In fact I think they did bust Penthouse a bunch back in the 80's, admittedly a little racier but nothing compared to the real stuff

[mongo]

40. Legal to own, illegal to sell

In ohio for example, I can be arested for selling ANY movie in my inventory. I have to then defend my self in court.

The movie in question has to be found "obscene" by a jury. It's an expensive process for both me and the prosecutors. It's just not worth it to most localities - getting a conviction is a crapshoot.

A handful of states criminalize the sale of sex toys too.

[dhinojosa]

60. Sounds of Pulp Fiction in your post.

;)

[mongo]

63. You totally lost me

?

[dhinojosa]

64. Your post sounds a lot like the dialog from Pulp Fiction...

PULP FICTION

2. INT. '74 CHEVY (MOVING) - MORNING

An old gas guzzling, dirty, white 1974 Chevy Nova BARRELS down
a homeless-ridden street in Hollywood. In the front seat are
two young fellas -- one white, one black -- both wearing cheap
black suits with thin black ties under long green dusters.
Their names are VINCENT VEGA (white) and JULES WINNFIELD
(black). Jules is behind the wheel.

JULES
-- okay now, tell me about the hash
bars?

VINCENT
What so you want to know?

JULES
Well, hash is legal there, right?

VINCENT
Yeah, it's legal, but is ain't a
hundred percent legal. I mean you
can't walk into a restaurant, roll
a joint, and start puffin' away.
You're only supposed to smoke in
your home or certain designated
places.

JULES
Those are hash bars?

VINCENT
Yeah, it breaks down like this:
it's legal to buy it, it's legal to
own it and, if you're the
proprietor of a hash bar, it's
legal to sell it. It's legal to
carry it, which doesn't really
matter 'cause -- get a load of this
-- if the cops stop you, it's
illegal for this to search you.
Searching you is a right that the
cops in Amsterdam don't have.

JULES
That did it, man -- I'm fuckin'
goin', that's all there is to it.

VINCENT
You'll dig it the most. But you
know what the funniest thing about
Europe is?

JULES
What?

VINCENT
It's the little differences. A
lotta the same shit we got here,
they got there, but there they're a
little different.

JULES
Examples?

VINCENT
Well, in Amsterdam, you can buy
beer in a movie theatre. And I
don't mean in a paper cup either.
They give you a glass of beer, like
in a bar. In Paris, you can buy
beer at MacDonald's. Also, you
know what they call a Quarter
Pounder with Cheese in Paris?

JULES
They don't call it a Quarter
Pounder with Cheese?

VINCENT
No, they got the metric system
there, they wouldn't know what the
fuck a Quarter Pounder is.

JULES
What'd they call it?

VINCENT
Royale with Cheese.

JULES
(repeating)
Royale with Cheese. What'd they
call a Big Mac?

VINCENT
Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call
it Le Big Mac.

JULES
What do they call a Whopper?

VINCENT
I dunno, I didn't go into a Burger
King. But you know what they put
on french fries in Holland instead
of ketchup?

JULES
What?

VINCENT
Mayonnaise.

JULES
Goddamn!

VINCENT
I seen 'em do it. And I don't mean
a little bit on the side of the
plate, they fuckin' drown 'em in
it.

JULES
Uuccch!

[mongo]

70. The comparision is the nicest compliment I've got all week.

Thanks.

Oh and mayo on fries is yummy - really.

[benburch]

83. So is hashish...

I can almost remember it.

[kskiska]

22. Will Mary Carey still be invited to the White House?

[Centered]

62. if not... I'll get the spare room ready

[Porcupine]

23. Not like there is a methamphetamine epidemic or anything

serious and damaging to prosecute.

[Behind the Aegis]

24. A tip for the FBI

If they are looking for hardcore porn...I am sure plenty Rethug Congress people have hard-drives that need looking into!

[SideshowScott]

25. Um, Dont they have more to worry about than nekkid women?

I mean there is that whole Terrorism thing, not to mention..Um whats thst word im looking for...Wait it will come to me..Oh yeah! Real CRIME?? Your tax dollars at work people.

[SKKY]

26. Holy Thought Police Batman!!!!!

[killbotfactory]

28. Thank God, I feel so much safer now

Please save me from consenting adults doing adult things for money on film. I don't know how much more I can take.

[Eugene]

29. "I guess this means we've won the war on terror"

said one exasperated FBI agent.

Four years after 9/11, FBI still can't pursue terrorism leads in
a timely manner. The anthrax mailer is still at large.
And they want to make adult porn a priority?

What evidence do they want gather about a lawful activity?

[texpatriot2004]

30. They could start with * himself. There is a report about him being

seen having sex with a child by someone in the military.

Details of Bush's child-raping terrorists at Abu Ghraib prison Warning: Graphic! Source: The "Taguba Report" On Treatment Of Abu Ghraib Prisoners In Iraq, statement by Kasim Mehaddi Hilas, Detainee #151108, 1300/18 Jan 04, as published by The Washington Post.

[fedsron2us]

31. One of the few industries where America is a world leader

so it stands to reason Bush would want to shut it down. Anyone care to put a figure in what this would mean in lost tax revenues and overseas earnings.

[pecwae]

32. My daughter works for a porn

company as a programmer. This company operates by extremely rigid rules pertaining to the age of customers and 'models'(absolutely NO kiddie porn, snuff films, etc). They are fantastic to their employees and give thousands of dollars to local, national and international charity. She was talking about legislation connected with this effort to legislate morality just this week.

Just like the 'war on drugs' attention to pot smokers, medicinal marijuana, harrassment of physicians trying to control the pain of chronic pain patients, this is an easy risk free bust to make the government look as if they're 'doing something' to protect the citizens. Total bullshit, total waste of much needed resources, total pandering.

[mongo]

39. Welcome to DU pecwae!

Glad to have you here!

[Stuckinthebush]

33. Well, we'll get the male vote back in our corner with this!

Do they really believe that Joe Sixpack is going to warm up to this? This has to be one of the stupidest things the GOP has done.

[B3Nut]

34. Well, they can start with

Jeff/James Gannon/Guckert...but they won't. If they go after pr0n where are the Fundies going to get their closet fixes?

The stupidity of Bushworld never ceases to amaze me.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[ridgerunner]

37. Where's Sam Kinison when you need him?

Remember his joke about soldiers on the front line in Columbia in the War on Some Drugs?

I imagine the FBI has had thousands of volunteers so far for this assignment.

[LeftHander]

38. Jeff Gannon....he knows pron nt

[Mari333]

41. They could start by exposing the morals of these fellows

But you know they wont.

http://tesibria.typepad.com/redmorals/

[FredScuttle]

42. Gonzales' audition for the Supreme Court

Such a craven, pathetic sop to the religious right wing I've never seen. Looks like ol' Al will get the wingnut seal of approval for his nomination.

[mongo]

43. I doubt if these agents will be used to prosecute obscenity

There is a huge fight going on now between the industry and the DOJ. There are rules 18 USC 2257, which require producers to keep records on every performer that certify they are over 18. Notifications have to be on the box of the movie and in the movie itself.

These regs were hammered out in 95 and every company has been adhering to them ever since. There have been exactly 4 underage performers enter the business since. These underage performers provided false identification.

Even though the DOJ has always been able to audit these 2257 records, there has been not one inspection.

This year, the DOJ changed the rules - and backdated them to 95. Another huge court battle is in the works, and there is a preliminary injunction against the DOJ enforcing the new interpretation of the rules.

They changed the rules in stupid ways. For example, the new rules state that the full name of the custodian of records must be in the notice - If the notice on the movie says S. Orenstein, custodian of records, the movie is now illegal and anyone from the producer to distributor, to retailer who has it in stock can be charged under the law. They also changed the rules so that the notice has to be at the end of the movie instead of the beginning.

There is a new bill in congress now that allows seizure under RICO if you sell a non-compliant movie. So, even if the movie is Granny Gang Bang, I could be arrested, go to jail and have my store and all my assets stolen by the government if I sell it to an undercover agent - because the notice did not list the full name of the person who holds the records verifying that the obviously 60yo performers are over 18 - even if the actual records are in order.

Nice racket they have going, isn't it?

[teknomanzer]

76. Isn't there a constitutional protection...

against ex post facto laws? Article 1 section nine and ten I believe.

[Uncle Joe]

44. But what will become of Gannon/Guckert? n/t

[WinkyDink]

45. It's obvious!!

These sickos LOVE porn in its most execrable forms!
I'm surprised it took Bushco this long to figure out how to get tax-payers and government employees to be their suppliers!

I'm betting Karl will have to monitor the gay porn investigation, keep it on track and all.

[bpilgrim]

46. sounds like an Al Quadia instruction to keep us busy...

or worse... please disregard!

psst... pass the word ;->
http://GlobalFreePress.com

:hi:

peace

[madmark]

47. Its great that the FBI has such excess capacity that it can worry

about porn while dealing effectively AlQuada, Treason (Plame Leak), Securities and Corporate Fraud, and White Collar Crime. Im sure the FBI has that translator capacity all ramped that Sibel Edmonds wrote about.

[Neshanic]

48. "O'Reilley with Falafelscope reporting for duty sir!"

[fshrink]

49. Since pornography is technically:writing

about prostitutes, this would implicate journalists writing about nearly anyone in this administration.

[kskiska]

50. Has anyone asked Clarence Thomas for his opinion?

He's consistently ruled in favor of porn. Long Dong Silver, anyone?

[zann725]

51. Since every "named" Shrub Commission does the opposite of what it's named,

could this mean they're actually going to seek out, procure the resources of, and work WITH porn makers?

[baby_mouse]

52. War on Fish!

War on Cows! War on Bad Smells! War on Tubes of Toothpaste! War on Electric Shavers! War on Plastic Aspidistras! War on Septicaemia! War on Mobius Strips! War on Coathangers! War on Exclamation Marks! War on Rude Waiters! War on Flying Typewriters! War on Snickers Bars! War on Diabetic Porridge! War on Quadrophonic Creosote! War on Collapsible Top Hats! War on Fancy, Price-inflated Potato Chips! War on Telephone Trees! War on Peevishness and Bad Temper!

War! War! War!

[mongo]

53. Holy crap!

War on Peevishness and Bad Temper!

I'll be in my foxhole defending myself...

[RandomKoolzip]

54. Best. Post. Ever.

baby_mouse, count me as one of your fans.

[baby_mouse]

55. Why ...... THANK YOU.

MWAH dahlink.

[pitohui]

56. don't they have anything better to do

where's osama bin laden

where's the anthrax dude

[rodeodance]

57. eee gawds--another war on......!!!poverty, drugs, people. etc etc.

[StellaBlue]

59. !

[Endangered Specie]

65. my indecent motto for the pro porn movement:

You can have my porn... when you pry it from my wet sticky hands! :evilgrin:

[Sabriel]

73. Ewww!

I'd nominate that post, if there were a category for it.

[Arkana]

74. LOL!

Good one. Really.

[freethought]

66. "We're Looking for a Few Good Men!"

"Who won't stuff the porn magazines underneath their suits or hide them in their car so the wife/girlfiend won't see. We're looking for a few Good Men who will not take the confiscated porn movies home to watch on their own. We're looking for a few good men who won't say "How can I get my wife to do that?". We're looking for a few good men who will not take home the sex toys that are supposed to be in the evidence locker!
We're looking for a few good men that....eh....er...well. Never Mind.

Hey, it's not like we have to be tracking terrorists or anything like that.

[anotherdrew]

67. who will be apointed Porn Czar ? America NEEDS a Porn Czar, sources say

how can they possibly do this? What charges can they bring?

[okieinpain]

68. wonder how mary carey feels about repugs now.

[mongo]

71. Good point!

I hope she's not still mad at me for the nasty LTTE I wrote about her republican exploits in Adult Video News.

[Arkana]

69. This just in: Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity

are to head up the Anti-Porn Agency.

[mitchum]

72. So much for the free market these sons of bitches revere so much

[Megahurtz]

75. Nice to know that they pour money into this

uselessness when there are poor and impoversished people that need the money in this country.

:sarcasm:

[lindisfarne]

77. BushCo was gearing up for this campaign before 9/11 - 9/11 put it on hold.

[VegasWolf]

78. See, we knew the Christian Social Conservatives wanted to outlaw all our

porn!!!

[VegasWolf]

79. Why is Bush afraid of porn? nt

[WestMichRad]

80. Becuz Laura won't let him watch it! n/t

[drduffy]

81. OH LET'S SEE

bust a few high profile dems for porn visits. Distract the sheep. More of the Sheep's children die in Iraq. But they don't care. Those dirty porn viewer are in jail.

[Raiden]

82. Why not recruit people for the War on Poverty?

That's the only war I can support right now

[The Animator]

84. They can have my porn, when they pry it from...

my cold, dead, sticky, fingers!

[IndyJones]

85. What a waste of resources. This is so ridiculous, I wish it were a joke.

[Kerri_S]

89. If they want to get tough on porn/indecency....

May I suggest they start by paying visits to Tom Delay ( apparently knows people with connections to child sex/slave trading) and Bill O'Reilly (that awful phone sex tape)?

[tainowarrior]

90. for a moment there...

I thought this was the Bush administration actually forming a porn squad of pornstars.

Well, I guess one can dream, no?

[bee]

91. unfrigganbelievable.

"The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography"

Evidence of what exactly? Obscenity? Obscenity as defined by a bunch of RW christonazis? Is ANY porn NOT obscene by their standards? Where are we? Iraq? Now we have vague laws based on subjective "morals"? S&M is "obscene". What next? Five years in prison for having leather handcuffs or a ball-gag? Ten for looking at porn online? :banghead:

Hell, why stop there... lets just put big brother in everyone's house and make masturbation illegal. Im sure it falls under the christonazi definition of "obscene". And hey... its fueled by lust. 1st on the list of the seven deadly sins. Come on chimpy... lets do GREED next.

"Christian conservatives, long skeptical of Gonzales, greeted the pornography initiative with what the Family Research Council called "a growing sense of confidence in our new attorney general."

And even as * and his christian fundies continually try to shove their "religious morals" down our throats... some people *wonder* what inspires the anti-christian sentiment. sheesh. Hey, when their version of "God" becomes an elected official THEN he can make government policy. But until then these people, some of which actually believe Neanderthal were just "really old" humans... have no fucking right to tell me what I can or cannot do. This is outrageous. :grr:

[mongo]

92. On the federal level -

I can go to jail for 5 years for the heinous crime of selling a movie (first offense, up to 10 thereafter)